Weather: October

By Robert Lindsay Korty and John Hume
STAFF METEOROLOGISTS
-- What a cold morning! With the start of October, early freezing temperatures returned to interior Massachusetts and New Hampshire last night and there was frost in the suburbs. October is a colorful month of change as the last warm days harden into the start of winter. It is a dramatic month, and a number of books, plays, and films are set during this season. “The Exorcist,” “Autumn in New York,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Ironweed,” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” are all set in the Northeast during autumn.

October is a beautiful month filled with variety. In Boston, the average high on the first of the month is 67°F (19°C), but it is only 57°F (14°C) by the end. It has been as cold as 27°F (-3°C) and as hot as 90°F (32°C). It is a volatile month. Perhaps the most striking signature of change is the rapidity with which light is lost. Sunset occurred at 6:25 p.m. yesterday, but it moved to 4:46 p.m. on Oct. 26, the day standard time returns. Even without losing the hour to the time change, the sun sets 40 minutes earlier at the end of the month than at the beginning.

Cool temperatures will continue through the weekend, and showers will develop as a low rotates through the region.